William Byron on 2026: 'It's been a tough go'

William Byron was leading the NASCAR Cup Series standings when the series rolled into Pocono Raceway a year ago. 

That's far from the case this year, as Byron enters Sunday's Great American Getaway 400 12th in points and only 48 above the Chase cut line with 11 races left in the regular season.

"It's been a tough go," Byron said Saturday at Pocono. "We were first in points last year at this time. Just had it figured out and we've had to relearn. We've had some really bad luck as well; we've gotten in three crashes. Those three DNFs are very tough to overcome with this points system."

William Byron struggling in 2026

Byron has three finishes of 30th or worse over the last six races and only one top 10 over the last four. Like the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet peers, Byron and the No. 24 team are also having to learn about Chevrolet's new 2026 body on the fly.

"It's not that the car is deficient or anything like that, it's just the fact that you had a notebook for four years with the Next-Gen, and now you're trying to basically relearn some of the sensitivities with the car," Byron said. "Just makes it tough."

Byron is looking for a good run at Pocono on Sunday, though the Tricky Triangle was not good to him in 2025. Byron crashed in qualifying before finishing just 27th at Pocono a year ago. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.